Dante's Troubles
by ProLiferChelle
Summary: This story takes place about four years "Another World" went off the air. Characters not invented by me are the property of Procter and Gamble Productions. NOTE: I have Dante walking to and from school without an adult for plotline purposes, but I don't approve of this in real life.
1. Chapter 1

"Come on, Dante. You just gotta do it this once, and then you'll be in the club."

Dante looked at the four older boys.

What second-grader wouldn't be flattered to be asked to join a club of fifth-graders? But he knew that  
what they wanted him to do was wrong.

"Look," another boy urged him, "it'll just take a minute, and nobody will ever know you did it."

"That's right. We do it all the time, and we've never been caught. Or are you afraid to take a chance  
because your Dad is the police captain?"

"No," Dante said, "I don't want to do it because it's wrong."

"Because it's wrong," mocked one of the ten-year-olds.

"He's just chicken," said another.

"No," Dante answered, "I'm not chicken."

"Prove it. Pull the handle."

"No," Dante said, but less firmly. After all, these ten-year-olds were giving him, a seven-year-old, a chance to be in their club.

The older boys flapped their arms and made "bawk bawk bawk" noises.

"Is it the club," taunted one of the older boys, "or the chicken coop?"

Was it the chance of being in a club with fifth-graders? Was it the taunting?

Dante pulled the alarm.

Good work, kid," said one of the older boys. "Now let's get out of here!"

"Aren't we going to watch for the fire engines?" Dante asked.

"Are you nuts?" another boy retorted. "You want them to catch us? Let's GO!"

Dante fled with the other boys.

When they stopped running, he said, "So I guess I'm in the club now, right?"

The fifth-graders just laughed.

"What club?"

"There ISN'T any club!"

"Yeah, and even if there WAS, we sure wouldn't let a little second-grade pipsqueak join."

Dante stared at them.

"You tricked me! You made me turn in that alarm for NO REASON!"

"If you didn't WANT to turn in the alarm," said one of the boys, "you didn't HAVE to."

"That's right. Now get lost, kid."

Dante walked home very slowly, kicking a stone.

"Dumb, dumb, dumb!" he said to himself. "Just plain dumb."

He was mad at those boys. He was a lot madder at himself.

A few hours later, he was feeling much worse.


	2. Chapter 2

"My friend Ted Conroy came to see me at the 2-3 this afternoon," Joe said that night during supper.

"Isn't he the captain of the fire department?" Paulina asked.

Joe nodded and said, "He wants the police department's help in cracking down on people who turn in false fire alarms."

"I guess they think it's a good joke," Paulina said. "Some joke!"

"Yeah," Joe sighed. "Some joke. A family on the other side of town lost their home this afternoon. The fire department got  
there too late because they were responding to another one of those false alarms. Thank God," he added, "the family and their  
pets got out safely."

"Whose house was it?" Paulina asked.

"The Petersons," Joe said.

Dante stopped eating. "Was anybody hurt?" he managed to ask.

"No, son," Joe answered, "nobody was home at the time, thank God."

"Eric Peterson is in my class," Dante said. "We're friends." He looked at his father. "Dad, is... is the person  
(he had almost said "boy") who turned in the false alarm to blame... for the Petersons losing their home?"

"Yes, Dante, at least partly. But I promise you, we will find out who has been turning in those alarms, and they  
will be punished."

"But just remember," Paulina added, "that even if there hadn't been a real fire, and even if that house hadn't been  
destroyed, what that person did was still just as wrong."

"We're just so thankful to know that you would never be involved in anything like that," Joe said.

Those words, that praise, made Dante feel worse than he had ever felt in his life. He had never heard the phrase

"Coals of fire," but if he had, he would at that moment have understood it perfectly.

He couldn't tell his Mom and Dad the truth. He just couldn't. Not now.

But how could he keep it from them? Wasn't that almost the same thing as lying?


	3. Chapter 3

Dante's second-grade teacher, Ms. Pollard, stood at the front of the classroom, as she had so many times before. This time, however,  
the smile her pupils had come to know and love was not there.

"Boys and girls," she began, "we have something sad to talk about."

A black-haired, blue-eyed girl who sat behind Dante raised her hand.

"Yes, Melissa?"

"Is it about Eric Peterson's house burning to the ground?"

"Yes," Ms. Pollard said, "it is. But it could have been so much worse. Nobody was hurt in that fire, and Eric will be back with us. But, class,  
Eric's house burned down because the fire department was on the other side of town, responding to a false alarm."

"People who turn in false fire alarms are bad," Melissa said, "and they should go to jail."

"Now, I think we should all make a pledge," Ms. Pollard said. "Children, repeat after me, please, and say your name when I say mine. Ready?"

"Yes, Ms. Pollard," chorused the class.

"All right. I, Amelia Pollard (each child said his or her own name) promise that I will never turn in a false alarm (Dante mentally added the word "again.")  
and that I will report anyone I see turning in a false alarm, even if by doing so I lose a friend."

####

At recess, Melissa took Dante aside and whispered, "I want to talk to you."

"What about?" Dante asked.

"I know who turned in that false alarm yesterday," Melissa said. "It was you."

"What makes you think so?" Dante asked.

"I was looking out the window and I saw you," Melissa answered.

"Oh," said Dante. He couldn't think of a lie.

"Your father is the police captain, isn't he?"

"Yes," Dante said.

"Well, I wonder what Captain Daddy would think if he knew his son turned in that false alarm yesterday," Melissa said.  
"Or does he already know?"

"No! He doesn't know I did it. I... I couldn't tell him. I just couldn't!"

"Why not?"

"Because," Dante said, "I couldn't stand what I think he'd do if he found out."

"What would he do?" Melissa asked. "Spank you? Ground you? Put you in jail?"

"No," Dante said quietly. "If my dad knew I did it, I think he would cry."

"Well," Melissa said, "remember what Ms. Pollard made us promise? That if we saw  
anyone turning in a false alarm, we should report it?"

"I remember," Dante said.

"Well, that means I should report you," Melissa said.

"Please don't," Dante begged.

"Okay," Melissa said, "I won't tell."

"Thanks, Melissa."

"As long," Melissa said, "as you do something for me."


	4. Chapter 4

"What do you want me to do?" Dante asked.

"Well," Melissa said, "tell me if you did the arithmetic homework last night."

"Of course I did," Dante answered. "You know I always do my homework."

"And you always get good marks for it," said Melissa

"So do you," Dante reminded her.

"I won't get a good mark today." Melissa sighed. "I'll get a zero."

"How come?" Dante wanted to know.

"I didn't do the homework."

"That's too bad," Dante said, not sarcastically, but sympathetically, "but I don't know what I can do to help you."

"I do," Melissa said.

"What?"

"Give me _your_ homework."

"I can't. That's cheating!"

"It's not as bad," Melissa said pointedly, "as turning in a false alarm. So either you give me your homework, or I'll tell."

"My name is on my homework," Dante said desperately.

"So erase it, dummy."

####

Soon after recess, Ms. Pollard asked her students to hand in their arithmetic homework. The children passed their worksheets forward. Ms.  
Pollard looked through the papers twice.

"Dante, I don't see your homework here."

"I don't have it, Ms. Pollard," Dante said.

"Did you leave it at home by mistake?" Ms. Pollard asked. "If that's what happened, I can call your mother and ask her  
to bring it now."

"No, Ms. Pollard, I didn't leave it at home. I.." Dante gulped. "I didn't do the homework," he lied.

"In that case," Ms. Pollard said, "you will have to do it while the rest of the class has library period. And I'll have  
to give you a lower grade."

"Yes, Ms. Pollard. "I'm sorry."

Dante wished that he could say those words, "I'm sorry," to the Petersons.


	5. Chapter 5

Two hours later, while his classmates and Ms. Pollard were in the school library, a disconsolate  
Dante sat at his desk, doing, or rather redoing, his arithmetic homework. When he finished, which  
didn't take very long, he went to the bookshelves, selected a book of short stories, and began to read.

####

Melissa walked over to Dante after school that day and said, "Let's talk."

Dante didn't want to talk to Melissa... he absolutely _did not_ want to talk to her, but  
he was afraid to say so. Not with what she knew about him.

"Well," Melissa said, "you know how I didn't have my arithmetic homework today? Well, I  
really don't like doing arithmetic homework. It's so boring."

"You still have to do it," Dante pointed out.

"No, I don't. You can do it for me."

"No, Melissa," Dante said, "I'm not giving you my homework again."

"You don't have to give me _your_ homework," Melissa said. "You just have to do it twice."

"No," Dante said, "I won't. It's cheating!"

Melissa looked Dante and said, "What you already did was a lot worse. So you either do my arithmetic homework  
for me," she went on, "or everybody is gonna KNOW you were the one who..."  
"All right," a defeated Dante interrupted, "I'll do it."

#####

A few days later, Ms. Pollard asked Dante and Melissa to remain after school.

"Please come up to my desk," she said when she had dismissed the rest of her pupils.

Dante and Melissa obeyed. A drawer in Ms. Pollard's desk creaked as she pulled it open and took  
out several sheets of paper.

"I've noticed something strange these past few days," Ms. Pollard said. "Lately, except for the names on the top,  
both of your arithmetic papers have been exactly alike."

Dante and Melissa didn't dare look at each other. At that moment, they were both feeling the same...scared.

Ms. Pollard continued, "The same handwriting, and even the same mistakes. Now, I know how the two of you write;  
I know that this is Dante's handwriting. Isn't that right?"

"Yes, Ms. Pollard," both children answered.

"You both lose your recesses for one week," Ms. Pollard said, "and I'll have to inform your parents about this."

"I'm sorry," Melissa said. "It's just that Dante SAID he would do my arithmetic homework for me. It was all  
his idea!"


	6. Chapter 6

Dante stared at Melissa. He couldn't believe that she would tell such a lie.

"Whether Dante offered to do your work for you or not," Ms. Pollard said, "both of you did  
wrong."

"We won't do again," Melissa said, looking as penitent as she could.

"No, Ms. Pollard," Dante said, "never again."

Dante felt terrible. He loved Ms. Pollard, and he knew that he had let her down.

####

When school ended, Dante went up to Melissa and demanded, "Why did you tell Ms. Pollard it  
was my idea to do your homework for you?"

"Would you rather I told her _why_ you were doing it for me?" she challenged him.

"No," Dante said, "I wouldn't. But I can't do it for you any more."

"I know. So that means you'll have to do something else for me."

"Like what?" Dante asked.

"I haven't decided yet," Melissa answered. "I'll let you know tomorrow."

Dante walked home very slowly. He was very worried about what his mom and dad  
would say when he gave them the note. He was even more worried about what Melissa  
would ask him to do for her.

####

It was almost time for supper, and Dante still hadn't given the note to his parents. But he  
knew he couldn't put it off any longer.

"Mom, Dad, I guess I'd better tell you what happened at school today."

"What is it, Son?" Joe asked, concerned.

Paulina added, "Did something go wrong?"

"No," Dante answered. "I _did _something wrong."

"What did you do?" Joe asked. "Don't be afraid to tell us. "

"Maybe I'd better just give you this note Ms. Pollard gave me."

Joe read the note, and handed it to Paulina.

"You know it was wrong to do Melissa's homework for you, don't you?"

"Yes, Mom."

"And you know we're going to have to punish you."

"Yes, Dad."

"Well, Joe said, "let's go upstairs and discuss this, Blue Eyes."

Joe and Paulina came back downstairs a few minutes later.

"We don't want to be too severe," Paulina said, "since you're already being punished  
at school."

"This is what we've decided," said Joe. "No dessert tonight, and bed right after supper."

#####

Dante was walking to school the next morning when he met Melissa.

"I've decided what you can do for me," Melissa said.


	7. Chapter 7

"What?" Dante asked warily, as they walked side by side.

"First tell me what your parents did when you gave them the note."

"I had to go to bed right after supper, and no dessert."

"Was that all?"

"Yes," Dante said, "and being sent to bed isn't so awful, because once you're asleep, you  
don't know you're being punished any more."

"And at least they didn't make you go without your supper," Melissa pointed out.

Dante said, "My Mom and Dad would never do that. What did yours do?"

"They took away my allowance for a whole month," Melissa said. She sounded very matter-of-fact  
about it.

"You don't seem too upset," Dante remarked, as they went around the corner.

"I'm not," Melissa told him, "because you're going to give me _your_ allowance this month."

"No, I'm not," Dante retorted.

"If you don't, " Melissa threatened, "I'll stand up in front of the class and tell everyone what you  
did. And that means that your parents will find out, and," she concluded, "they will be so disappointed in you."

Dante couldn't stand the thought of his parents being disappointed in him.

"All right. You can have my allowance."

#####

But as it turned out, Dante did not give his allowance to Melissa, and she did not tell on him.


	8. Chapter 8

Joe, Paulina, and Dante were having blueberry pancakes for breakfast the next morning.

"Mom, Dad, can I go to the library after school today?" Dante requested. "I want to return my books,  
and take out some new ones

"Yes," Joe said, "as long as you're home in time for supper."

"Thanks, Dad," Dante said.

"We're glad you like to read," Paulina said, "and that you're such a good reader."

####

School had ended about a half-hour ago, and Dante was at the library, browsing  
among the books in the children's room. There were both new books, and old books.  
Dante remembered something that Ms. Pollard had told the class several weeks ago:  
"An old book that you read for the first time is new for you."

The staff at the Bay City Public Library agreed with this, and had set up a section devoted to  
books first published in the 1960s and earlier. Dante headed for that section, and chose the  
following books:

_Henry Huggins _and _Henry and Beezus_, by Beverly Cleary.  
He had already read them; they were familiar friends.

_The Lemonade Trick_, by Scott Corbett.  
That one was new to him.

_The Great Brain_, by John D. Fitzgerald.  
That was another book he'd never read before.

All of these books were in paperback.

####

Dante was on his way home from the library when he heard a familiar voice say,  
"You just gotta do it this once, and then you'll be in the club."

He turned the corner, and saw the same boys who had tricked him into turning in that false alarm.  
He recognized the kid they were talking to, a first-grader named Sammy Jones.

And then, Dante knew what he had to do.


	9. Chapter 9

Dante walked up to Sammy and said, "Don't listen to them. They're lying to you!"

"How do you know?" the first grader asked.

"Get lost," said one of the older boys.

"Sammy, listen to me," Dante pleaded. "They're lying!

"You already said that," sneered another older boy.

"You're just jealous because they didn't ask _you_ to be in their club," said Sammy.

"There _isn't _any club! They're just trying to get you to do something bad!"

"How do _you_ know?" Sammy asked again.

"Because that's what they did to me!"

"I don't believe you," Sammy said.

"I swear that's what they did," Dante said.

"Then tell me what they made you do," Sammy challenged.

Before Dante could answer, the older boys started to walk away, saying things like "Oh, forget it!"  
and "Why are we wasting our time with babies?" and "Who needs a first-grader in our club anyway?"

"Thanks a lot," Sammy said sarcastically.

"You're welcome," Dante said sincerely.

He walked home. There was one more thing he had to do.

Joe came home from the 2-3 an hour later.

"Supper will be ready in ten minutes," Paulina said.

"Great," said Joe.

Dante knew that the time had come. He couldn't put it off any longer.

"Mom, Dad," he began, then stopped.

"What it it, Son?" Joe asked. "Is there something troubling you?"

"Yes, Dad," Dante answered. He took a deep breath. "There's something I have to tell you."


	10. Chapter 10

"What is it, Dante?" Joe asked. "What's troubling you?"

"I don't know how to tell you."

"Son," Joe said, "we're your parents, and we love you. You never have to be afraid to tell us anything,

no matter what it is."

"You know that, don't you?" Paulina put in.

"Yes," Dante said, "I know."

"I think we'll be more comfortable on the couch," Joe suggested.

They sat on the couch, Dante between his parents. Some children may have felt trapped, but Dante didn't.

A scent of garlic and paprika came from the kitchen; there was a chicken roasting in the oven. Dante usually loved

chicken, but just then he was not very hungry, In fact, he had never been less hungry in his life.

"Now," Joe said, "let's hear what's troubling you."

Dante took a deep breath. "Remember the day the Petersons' house burned down because the firefighters couldn't get there in time?"

"Yes," Joe said, "because someone turned in a false alarm. Dante, do you know who it was?"

Dante nodded. He couldn't speak.

"Whoever it is, you're not doing them a favor by protecting them," said Paulina.

"That's right," Joe said. "And I promise you, I won't arrest them, but," he added, "I will need to talk to their parents."

Dante burst out, "It was me! I'm the one who turned in the alarm!"


	11. Chapter 11

"You could have heard a pin drop" is a worn-out cliche, but after Dante confessed to his parents, you _could_ have  
heard a pin drop. Wait. That's an understatement. You could have heard an eyelash drop onto a pile of fresh, soft snow.  
Nobody spoke. Nobody moved.

Finally Joe choked out, "Dante, that wasn't like you. Why did you do it?"

"Well," Dante said, "I did it to get in a club with some big kids."

"Some club," Paulina said.

"After I did it," Dante went on, "they laughed and told me there _wasn't_ any club. They made me," he finished bitterly, "turn in a false alarm for nothing!"

"No, Dante," Joe said sternly, "they did not _make you_ turn in that alarm. You chose to do it, even though you knew it was wrong."

Paulina touched Joe's arm as if to say, "Don't be too hard on him. He's only a little boy."

"I guess you're right, Dad. I knew it was bad, but I really wanted to get into that club."

"I know what that feels like," Joe admitted.

"And then today I heard those kids tell the same thing to a first-grade kid named Sammy. So I told him there _isn't_ any club.""

"Did he listen to you?" Joe asked.

"No, but it didn't matter because the big kids just laughed at us and walked away. But then Sammy blamed me because he didn't get a chance  
to be in the club."

"The club," Paulina said, "that doesn't really exist."

"Dad, what happens now?" Dante asked. "What does the law say? Do I have to go to jail for turning in a false alarm?"


	12. Chapter 12

**"Do I have to go to jail?" Dante asked again. "I mean, I know what I did was a crime."**

**Joe put his arm around Dante and said, "Well, son, you've told your Mom and me all about it,  
and since I'm the police captain, we could say that you have turned yourself in to the police."**

**Paulina nodded her head.**

**"And," Joe continued, "since you are so young, you would be released to the custody of your parents."**

**"That's right. And you already are in our custody," Paulina added.**

**"But as your parents, who love you, we're going to have to punish you."**

**"Yes, Dad, I know," Dante said, "and I know I deserve whatever you do to me."**

**"Well," said Paulina, "your Dad and I are going to have to discuss it first."**

**Something occurred to Joe at that moment.**

**"Dante, there's one thing we need to know. Did Melissa know what you did?"**

**"Yes, Dad. She was looking out her window, and she saw me."**

**"So _that_," Paulina said, "is why you were doing her homework for her."**

**Dante nodded his head.**

**The stench of burning chicken, garlic, and paprika drifted into the room.**

**"Oh, no!" Paulina cried, dashing into the kitchen. She returned a few minutes later and  
said, "The chicken is burnt to a crisp."**

**Dante couldn't remember either one of his parents _ever_ letting food burn before.**

** "Should I run down to Carlino's and get something," Joe asked, "or do we just heat ****up  
****the spaghetti and meatballs in the refrigerator?"**

**"I'll heat up the spaghetti and meatballs," Paulina decided.**

**"And," Joe said, "we are going to enjoy our supper, and not think about our problems. They can  
wait. Agreed?"**

**####**

Supper was over, and the dishes had been put into the dishwasher.

**"And now," Paulina said to Dante, "your Dad and I are going upstairs to talk things over."**

**"Wait for us in the living room," Joe said.**

**####**

**Dante's parents came back downstairs about twenty minutes later... a long twenty minutes for Dante.  
They sat down next to him on the couch, Joe on one side, Paulina and the other.**

**"Dante," Joe said, "your Mom and I have discussed this, and, while we are ashamed that you turned in  
a false alarm"**

**"I'm ashamed, too. I've never been more ashamed in my life," Dante broke in.**

**Joe went on, "But we are also very proud of you."**

**Dante couldn't understand how his parents could be proud of him.**


	13. Chapter 13

**"How can you be proud of me after what I did?" Dante asked. thoroughly confused.**

** "We're not proud of the fact that you turned in a false alarm," Paulina said, "and you are  
going to be punished for that."**

**"But," Joe said, "we ****_are_**** proud of you for telling that first-grader there wasn't any club before those  
older boys could trick him the way they tricked you. The way," he went on, "some twelve-year-old  
boys tricked ****_me_**** when I was eight."**

**"What did they do, Dad?"**

**"About the same thing those boys did to you. They invited me to be in their club if I did what they told  
me. And I had to prove that I wasn't a goody-goody sissy just because ****_my_**** father was a cop."**

**Dante nodded and said, "They asked me if I was afraid because you're the police captain."**

**"And nobody likes to be called afraid, or chicken, or sissy," Joe said.**

**"So," Paulina said, "you did what those boys told you to... just like Dante?"**

**Joe nodded.**

**"_You_ turned in a false alarm, Dad?"**

**"No. I shoplifted. I stole. And I got caught."**

**"What happened then?" Dante asked.**

**"The first thing your grandpa did," Joe said, "was make me apologize to the owner of the store.  
But that wasn't all."**

**"What else did he do?" Dante asked.**

**"Well," Joe said, " that was the only time he ever used his belt on me, and the only time  
****I ever had to go to bed without supper. Not only that," Joe finished, "but I was also grounded  
for two weeks."**

**Dante spoke reluctantly, very reluctantly. "I guess that's what I deserve, then."**

**Paulina reached over and put her hand on Joe's arm.**

**"No," Joe said, "I'm not going to use my belt on you, Dante."  
**

**"Are you going to spank me?"**

**"No, I'm not. There will be no corporal punishment. Your Mom and I are grounding you for two  
weeks, starting tomorrow."**

**"You'll come home right after school," Paulina said, "and go to your room. No friends over, no tv, no radio,  
no computer games."**

**"And bed right after supper," Joe added.**

**Dante had never been grounded for more than two days.**

**"And now," Paulina said, "I'm going to call Melissa's mother." **

**"Please don't, Mom."**

**"Melissa's parents have to be told what she did," said Joe.**

**But nobody answered Paulina's call.  
**

**####  
**

**Dante was already in the schoolyard the next morning when Melissa arrived. **

** He went up to her and said, ****"Let's go over there and talk, Melissa."**

**They walked over to a corner of the yard.**

**"Did you bring your allowance?"**

**"No, Melissa," Dante said, just a bit smugly. "I'm not giving you my allowance,  
and I'm not doing anything else you tell me to."**

**"Then you know what I'm going to do," Melissa said.**

** Dante did not answer.**

**Melissa went inside, and into Ms. Pollard's room. Dante followed her.**

**"You can't stop me from telling," Melissa said. "Miss Pollard, I think you should know  
that Dante is the one who turned in. the false alarm the day the Petersons' house burned down."**


End file.
